Dr. Péter Balázs: Guide to the archives of Hungary (Budapest, 1976)

Budapest Főváros Levéltára (Budapest Municipal Archives)

For the history of Budapest after the liberation the records of the Budapest National Commission and of the 14 districtual National Commissions possess extraordinary significance, also those of the almost 600 Screening Commissions, delegated by the Budapest National Commission to the municipal offices and institutions, the ministries, the enterprises and associations active in the capital; they may be regarded as archival material of equally urban origin. The records of the Budapest National Commission have, however, a national source value, as it fulfilled the role of the government, until the latter moved from Debrecen to Budapest. The records of the National Commissions total 7, those of the Screening Commissions 315 running metres. The archival material of the regional specialized administrative organs has come to archival custody with great lacks after 1950. The records of some organs have been totally annihilated, those of others were preserved in fragments only. Their material before and after 1945 totals about 226 running metres. Even so they are important sources, especially from the point of view of the history of workers' movements in Hungary, mainly those of the organs of interior administration (records of the Budapest Headquarters of the Hungarian Royal State Police, etc.) and of the specialized organs of the educational administration (records of the Budapest Royal Inspectorate of Schools etc.). The material taken over from the regional organs of jurisdiction, owing to the enlargement of collecting interest in 1950, suffered less damage. From the point of vue of source value this material has a national significance. Pest, then Budapest was namely from the Age of Reform, and even more after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise the centre of the developing capitalistic judicial organization, with courts working here which had a competence beyond the boundaries of the capital, and in some respects national competence and significance (e.g. the Bills of Exchange Court of Pest established in 1840, the Budapest Royal Table established in 1875, the Courts for Worker's Insurance and later for Social Insurance, etc.). Also the Budapest Chief Public Prosecution and the Budapest Public Prosecution produced valuable material; the latter surpassed the similar organs of jurisdiction by the exclusive right of censorship of printed matter. Of the regional organs of jurisdiction after 1945 the records of the Budapest People's Public Prosecution, an organ competent for the suits of the Hungarian war criminals and other political cases between 1945 and 1949, are highly important. Beside the records of law courts and public prosecutions we preserve those of